


Do You Want The Tarp Or Not?

by phantomthief_fee



Series: BATIM Drabbles [21]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:50:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Henry might have saved everyone, but unfortunately Bertram can't fit in the house.





	Do You Want The Tarp Or Not?

[@adobe-outdesign](https://tmblr.co/m3lz3c0dRsTEekmX4FOozIA) did a funny [post](https://adobe-outdesign.tumblr.com/post/187495926073/my-favorite-kind-of-au-is-the-old-henry-saves). Now I’m writing it. 

* * *

At this point, nothing could surprise Henry. He’d survived the horrors of the studio and now had a whole house full of ink creatures. Weird was his new normal. Bertram was still...interesting to deal with, though. For starters, Bertram was a giant park ride. Even Boris, who’d gotten turned into a Frankenstein monstrosity by Alice could still fit in the house. There was no getting Bertram through the door. So, he’d just gotten stuck in the yard. At least he had Lacie to keep him company. She seldom left his side. 

The two of them were proving particularly popular with the neighborhood children, despite their initial fear of Lacie. (Henry had done what he could to fix her, at least attaching her head, but there hadn’t been too much he could do to make her less frightening.) Bertram, despite his grumbling, did seem to enjoy the presence of the children. Even if he didn’t appreciate Henry only charging 5 cents for a ride on him. He was worth far more. 

In any case, Bertram had to be outside because he wouldn’t fit in the house. Which posed a few problems when weather happened. Like rain. Or snow. Anything wet, basically. Wet and Bertram in his current form didn’t mix very well. They’d found this out about the first week after escaping the studio. Henry and Linda had just returned from grocery shopping and were bringing groceries in when the rain had started. 

“Henry.” Bertram’s voice came from the yard.

“Yeah?” Henry paused in the driveway, arms full of groceries. A light drizzle had begun, misting the grass and settling on Bertram’s arms. 

“Henry, it is raining.”

“Yeah, I see that.”

“I am getting wet.”

“Okay, so I’ll get you a tarp.” Henry began to head for the house again. He was pretty sure he had a tarp in the garage. It might not fit over all of Bertram, but they’d make do.

“You should build me a shed,” Bertram said indignantly. “Expensive machinery should not be left out in the rain.” He seemed to take offense at the idea of being covered in a tarp. 

“Do you want the tarp or not?” Henry asked, turning to look incredulously at him. Bertram narrowed his eyes. The two of them just stared at each other. 

.

“Oh geez.” Lacie groaned, glancing out the window. 

“What is it?” Linda put down her latest armful of bags.

“It’s raining.” Lacie heaved herself off the counter. “Bertie’s gonna be pitching a fit.” 

Linda followed her gaze, noting the drizzle. “Mm. I wonder if we should get him a tarp.”

Lacie snorted, stifling a rumble of laughter. It was useless, though, and she burst out in a fit of cackles. 

“He’s not gonna like that suggestion!” She howled. 

“Well, it’s the best we’ve got at the moment.” A smile tugged at the corners of Linda’s lips. “So he either takes it or rusts.”

“Fair enough.” Lacie made her way to the door, still snickering. She was actually looking forward to the argument she knew was going to follow. She liked having a little excitement in her life. Excitement that didn't involve death or dismemberment. 

.

There was quite a bit of back and forth before both Henry and Lacie eventually convinced Bertram to accept the tarp. The Lost Ones watched from the living room window as Henry, Linda, and Lacie fetched the tarp and spread it over the park designer. He complained the whole time.

"This is degrading! Reducing a man of my status to this state!"

"Would you rather rust?" Henry snapped. Bertram went silent. If he could blush, he would have. 

"This is how he copes," Lacie explained.

"Perhaps we should find a better coping mechanism for him," Linda suggested. 

Eventually, they did get the tarp set up so that Bertram would mostly stay dry. Lacie decided to keep him company while it rained, curled up against his central column. As he went back inside, Henry was starting to seriously consider building a shed for Bertram. It would cut down on the whole tarp argument in the future. 

**Author's Note:**

> I regret nothing.


End file.
